Month: August 2016

Brake pads are one of the most important parts of your car, and if you don’t check them regularly it can be hard to see early warning signs. It’s a good idea to check the thickness of the pads every six months.

The biggest sign that your pads are wearing down is a grinding noise when you hit the brakes. They’re designed to make this noise to warn you in advance so you can change the pads, but it’s nice to know before they start grinding.

When brakes are worn, you may start to see less brake dust on the wheels. This is kind of hard to spot, especially if you don’t know how much dust is usually on your wheels, so try keeping an eye on the amount of dust that’s normal and then see how much it increases or decreases.

Finally, you can look at the pad itself, which can usually be seen through the wheel. The pad should be at least a quarter of an inch thick—if it seems thinner than that, it’s time to have the pads replaced.

Remember, routine brake maintenance and part replacements could save your life! If you notice any signs that your brake pads are worn, get them changed.

The Ford donated Ole Yeller Mustang given to a charity auction for EAA AirVenture on August 2 sold for $295,000, the proceeds of which went to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s youth programs. The Ole Yeller Mustang was aviation-inspired and specially designed by Ford engineers.

The winner of the auction was Hank Menke, a CEO from Indiana. Part of the nearly $300,000 will go to the Young Eagles, a program which has been giving free introductory flying lessons to children since 1992. This is the ninth unique vehicle Ford has had specially designed to auction in support of the EAA and has raised over $3 million over the years.

The Ole Yeller Mustang has a custom yellow exterior, custom accents and badging, mirrors that project images of aircraft, and airplane-inspired gauges in the cabin. It is a Shelby GT350 that generates 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque, and the 6-speed manual transmission it’s mated to makes it “the most track ready road-legal Mustang ever produced.”

The Ole Yeller is meant to honor the P-51D fighter plane and the pilot Bob Hoover, who was considered by many to be one of the best pilots who ever lived. He flew a plane called Ole Yeller, which inspired the paint job and nickname of the special Mustang.